KALTBLUT’s guide to Melt Festival 2022

Melt Festival is returning this year from 9th to 12th June with a jam-packed line-up ranging from Peggy Gou to Shygirl and Yung Singh to Jamie XX, to name a few. This year, over 200 acts will be playing on a total of 13 stages and the festival has pledged to be even more open and diverse. Big established acts will share the stages with up-and-coming young artists defying all genre boundaries.

As the organisers behind the festival say: “Melt Festival 2022 creates #anewworld after a two-year break and still remains as familiar and special as before. […] Melting genre boundaries and a festival that dares to look far beyond its own nose: in 2022, Melt Festival will create an even more intense and intimate experience at the same time. Together with fans from all over the world, Melt wants to revive the festival culture and inspire, surprise and move.”

Photo courtesy by Melt Festival

With a line up that’s simply bursting with talent, KALTBLUT created a top-ten recommendation guide with some of the most exciting artists that definitely can’t be missed.

Arlo Parks
Kicking off the festival strong with Arlo Parks, who’s released her critically acclaimed debut album Collapsed in Sunbeams in January 2021 and has since won every award there is, it seems, including last year’s Hyundai Mercury Price for best album. Arlo will open the festival on Thursday, 9th June.

Little Simz
Joining forces with Arlo and several other talented artists, Little Simz is playing on the festival’s first day kicking off a weekend of sunshine, good music and good times. Her music is as meaningful as it is beautiful and there are few artists that leave such a lasting impact after their performances. Little Simz will also be playing on Thursday, 9th June.

Fred Again..
Fred Gibson released his first two acclaimed solo albums in the last two years and has since been one of the most exciting artists. His recent releases deal with the despairs of lockdown and yet somehow turn them into hopeful messages. Fred Again.. will be playing at Melt! on Friday, 10th June.

Caroline Polachek
You probably know Caroline’s song “So Hot You’re Hurting My Feelings” due to it having been a massive trend on TikTok, it’s not, however, her only good song! Having released her first solo album, Pang, in 2019 under her real name, she’s become one of the most exciting artists to watch. Additionally, Melt Festival is Caroline’s only announced performance in Germany so far. She’ll be playing in Ferropolis on Saturday, 11th June.

Tom Misch
Tom Misch’s fusion of jazz, funk and alternative is the perfect music for a warm, sunny summer day at a festival. The British singer-songwriter perfectly embodies Melt’s genre-bending ethos and is definitely one of the top ten KALTBLUT artists at Melt! Festival. Tom will also be playing on Friday, 10th June.

Octo Octa B2B Bored Lord
Octo Octa and Bored Lord are two of the most exciting and energetic DJs and producers out there at the moment and nothing feels more right than those two ground back to back at Melt. Check out Bored Lord’s exclusive KALTBLUT mixtape from last year to get into the mood for their set on Saturday, 11th June.

PinkPantheress
After one of her viral TikTok hits “Break It Off“, there was no escaping PinkPantheress and she quickly became one of the most exciting acts to watch in the last year. Melt will be her only gig in Germany so far, and she’s playing on Saturday 11th June.

Sherelle B2B Tim Reaper
What’s better than two of the best jungle DJs playing on the festival’s last day? Sherelle and Tim Reaper playing back to back are bringing some of the most exciting sounds coming out of the UK at the moment to Ferropolis, which makes their set one not to be missed! Sherelle and Tim will be playing on Sunday, 12th June.

Yung Singh
Yung Singh has been seemingly everywhere in the last year – from Boiler Room to gigs all over Europe and events with the leading Asian underground crew Daytimers. Yung Singh also recorded an exclusive one hour mix for KALTBLUT and had a long in-depth conversation with me about his sound and how he nearly quit DJing. Yung Singh is definitely one to not miss at this year’s Melt. He’ll be playing on Sunday, 12th June.

UNIIQU3
Hailing from New Jersey UNIIQU3 has exposed her local club scene to worldwide audiences. Known for her explosive DJ sets where Jersey Club meets hip hop and R&B, UNIIQU3 is one of the most fun voices in bass music today. UNIIQU3 will be playing on Sunday, 12th June.

Have a look at the full line-up below and get tickets for Melt Festival here.


Johanna Urbancik is the host of the On The Ground podcast, in collaboration with KALTBLUT and Refuge Worldwide. Listen to the podcast here.